Collator



Sept. 21, 19489 J. M. DRULINER COLLATOR 3 Sheets-She Original Filed Aug. 30, 1945 w 194% J. Ml. DRULHNER 30 9 COLLA'I'OR Original Filed. Aug. 30, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sqafi. 22 19%. .2. M. DRULENER COLLATOR Original Filed Aug. so, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 21, 1948 COLLATOR Joseph M. Druliner, North Hollywood, Calif., assignor to Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, San Diego, Calif., a corporation of Delaware 'Continuation of application Serial No.

August 30, 1943. This application June 24, 1946, Serial No. 678,774

9 Claims. (01. 270-58l This invention relates in general to a sheet collator for simultaneously feeding a set of sheets from an arcuate series of closely spaced radial bins which converge to a common center when the sheets are partially ejected from the bins so that the entire set of sheets may be grasped with one hand.

An important object of the invention is to pro vide an arcuate series of radially arranged bins with means therein for simultaneously feeding a sheet from a stack in each bin to a common central position free from deflectors or guides adjacent. the common center, so that each collected set oi. sheets or pamphlets may be grasped with one hand and removed thereby as a unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide two groups of a plurality of radial bins arranged close together with means for simultaneously feeding sheets therefrom to common centers without necessitating guides or other directing means for the outer edges of the sheets so that these edges of the sheets will be substantially in contact with each other and each set may be grasped by one of the hands of the operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide collator bins arranged in two arcuate sets, each radiating from a common center, adapted to hold the stacks of sheets therein with power operated means for actuating sheet feeders to partially expel sheets from the bins until the outer edges of the sheets engage each other in a common central position for each set, leaving both hands of an operator free for grasping each group of sheets and assembling them in practically a single movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a curved back stop for the arcuate radial sets of collector bins having a single strip extending through all of the bins to change the effective depth for containing sheets of diiferent lengths.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for feeding the sheets by feed levers in each bin, held by variable spring tension to control the frictional contact of the feed lever.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a power operated lever which operates feed levers in all of the bins of the collator simultanecusly when the power lever is pressed in one direction, with the provision that upon back pressure, it will raise all the feed levers simultaneously .to free all of the bins for loading them with both hands if desired. v

Another object of the invention is to provide a collator which is generally of new and improved construction and is characterized by simplicity of- .design as well as ease and facility of assembly and operation.

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages and characteristics of this collator will be apparent from a consideration of the followin detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter described and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification or disclosure Figure 1 is a perspective of a collator constructed in accordance with this invention having a plurality of bins arranged in two arcuate radial rows, some of the operating mechanism being located at each end, and the hinged casing at the near end being raised to uncover the operating mechanism;

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of some of the parts shown in Figure 1, with parts broken away and illustrating other features of the operating mechanism;

Figure 3 is a detail end view showing the position of the feed arms at the end of the back stroke and when back pressure is applied to the operating pedal;

Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the feeding mechanism in a lower sheet feeding position; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the feeding mechanism in an upper sheet feeding position with the outer edges of the sheets in contact with each other.

Various types of collators having parallel bins or compartments or stacks arranged in circular form have been proposed, but none of them is designed or intended to locate the plurality of stacks in arcuate converging arrangement with unobstructed inner ends such that when the sheets are simultaneously advanced and partially ejected from the bins, they will converge at common cenrters tree from the bins and without requiring guides or deflectors to direct them together, the outer edges of the sheets being substantially in alignment so that adjacent sets may be easily engaged and grasped by each hand of an operator and the two sets thus received placed separately or joined together, depending upon the number of sheets to be assembled.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a receptacle ill of somewhat segmental form has an outer curved base i Lends i2 and a central partition l3 conforming thereto, and radial partitions H disposed between the ends l2 and central partition l3 dividing the receptacle into a number of required receiving bins which are radially arranged converging toward the top and with their open ends at a distance from the common center of the two sets of bins less than the length of a sheet which is contained within and partially ejected from the bins. In the present example, six bins are shown in each set, but any number may be provided depending upon the number of sheets or the like, to be collated.

The receptacle I is conveniently mounted upon supporting legs I! and ii secured to base rods il so that the upper open ends of the bins will be at a convenient height for the hands of an operator. At the front of the supporting base. a foot plate or pedal I8 is mounted to swing upon a cross shaft i8 which is pivoted in end brackets 20 secured to the legs l and base rods II. If desired, the shaft I9 may be extended beyond the bracket 20 at each end and a similar pedal may be located at the outside of each leg ii. The pedal ll may be mounted intermediate its front and rear edge upon the shaft l9 so that it may be pressed in opposite directions by pressure at the front or rear portions respectively.

Connected to shaft i9 at each end near the mounting bracket 20 is an arm 2i which rotates therewith, and pivoted to the outer end of the arm by any one of a number of perforations 22 is a link 23 pivoted at its upper end to one end of a lever 24. Each operating lever 24 has an intermediate pivot 25 connecting it to the base of the receptacle I0 and having a slot 26 in its opposite or free end located adjacent the center of the lower curved edge of the corresponding end i2.

In each end l2 and in the partition it and corresponding to the number of divisions or bins within the receptacle are radiating slots 21 which terminate below the top and above the bottom is a feed arm bracket or holder 30 which may be made .of sheet material having bent ears SI for positioning it upon the rod 28 and with curved projecting arms 32 upon which friction fingers II are mounted each having a rubber or bberlike friction fingertip 34 for engaging the innermost sheet of the stack of papers within the bin. To hold each arm bracket in proper position, a nut or collar 35 is adjustable upon the rod 28 by a set screw 36 or other suitable attaching means, and an extensible coil spring 31 is connected at one end to a projection 35a." extending from the collar 35 and at the other end to one of the arms 22. At the opposite end of the bracket, a. similar nut or collar 38 is adjustably held on the rod 28 by a screw 39 or other suitable means, and extending from this collar are projections 40 which extend above and below and free from the adjacent ear but limit the rotation of the bracket 2| with respect to the rod in both directions.

At each outer end of each rod 28 are two fastening nuts or collars 4i and 42 held adjustably thereon by set screws 43. One of the nuts has a projection 44 to which one end of an extensible coil spring 45 is connected, the other end being connected to a projection a suitably located adjacent the bottom of the receptacle at the outside of the plate l2. vBetween the two nuts or collars ll and 42, one looped end of a spring'connectinglink I is confined, the other end terminating in an open hook 41 adapted to engage in a corresponding opening ll of a segment bar III which extends across the radial slots 21 outside of one end i2 of the receptacle. These connecting links 48 are preferably of wire to permit free lateral variation as the segment moves the bars in the radiating slots 21. This segment bar has an extension ii at one side with inner collars 52 at spaced distances apart adapting it to slide upon a guide rod 53 located centrally of each end l2 and connected at the top and bottom by inserting it through a perforation 54 in the end I2, or in any other suitable manner.

Opposite the projection ll of the segment bar is an outwardly turned perforated bracket I through which one end of a connecting rod 58 is inserted. A thumb screw 51 may be threaded on the upper end of the rod holding it in place against a nut 58a at the under side of the bracket 55. The lower end 58 of the rod is bent and engaged in the slot 26 of the operating lever 24.

With this construction, the springs do tend to draw the rods 28. and the segment bar downwardly raising the pedal to an inclined position as shown in Figure 1. The opposite movement of the pedal causes the operating lever to raise the segment bar and with it the transverse rods 28. moving the feeding fingers against the outermost sheet of each stack 60, projecting the outer end of each of said sheets from the collator.

In order to free the feeding fingers from engagement with the outermost sheet of each stack to utilize the loose stack principle, and to allow the sheets to settle back by gravity towards their original starting position, a projecting pin ii is located at the outer side of each end plate l2 just above the lower end of each slot 21, which is in the path of the projection 44 on the nut or collar I so that before the transverse rod 28 reaches the lower end of the slot, the projection 44 engages the projection ll which thereupon rotates the rod 20 carrying with it the feed arm bracket 30 as shown more clearly in Figure 3, thereby rotating the feed arm in a clockwise direction as shown free from and out of contact with the outermost sheet of the stack 00. This freedom of contact of the feeding fingers allows the sheets and particularly the outermost sheets in a stack to settle downwardly by gravity into the bottom of the receptacle or bin, or to the original starting place on the stack.

In order to accommodate sheets of various sizes in the same collator, as for example, letter size and legal size sheets, a plurality of back stop strips 86 may be inserted through the front and back of the receptacle and through perforations 81 in the radiating partitions I.

At each end of the receptacle is a hinged cover 68 with flanges at three sides and open at the bottom to enclose the operating mechanism at each end of the receptacle but rotatable to uncover the mechanism for repair or adjustment. At the front of the receptacle is a platform 1. which serves as a table upon which to iogthe edges of each handful of sheets to facilitate orderly stackings.

In operating this collator, the pedal ii. simply depressed at the upper or rear edge, which partially ejects two groups of six sheets radially from the arcuately arran ed bins until the outer edges meet at a common center where they may be readily grasped by the two hands of an operator and either placed together or each handful jogged separately upon the platform and then assembled or used in any manner desired. To

replenish the stacks, back pressure upon the foot pedal, or depressing the front portion, releases all of the feeding-fingers simultaneously from contact with the outermost sheets in their respective bins, and the bins of the collator' are then clear for-loading with both hands, if desired. With this construction, the radial converging ends of the bins are omitted to provide an open and unobstructed space through which the outer portions of the sheets are fed to the common center. By partially supporting the sheets within the bins and extending the outer portion of each sheet in an upward inclined position, they are guided closely together in contact with each other or at a common center so that the operator may easily grasp all of the sheets of one set with one hand and remove the remainder of the partially fed sheets from the several bins. If there are two sets close together, both hands of the operator may be used for this purpose, the sheets being advanced by the foot pedal or by power means operating the feeding fingers within the bins.

This application'is a continuation of my application for Collator, Serial No. 500,504, filed August 30, 1943, which has been abandoned.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth which should be regarded by way of illustration and not as a limitation since the construction, combination, and arrangement of the parts may be varied within the scopeof the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim: i 1. A collator comprising an arcuate series of bins having open and unobstructed inner ends, adapted to hold stacks of sheets respectively, and radially arranged around a common center so that when the sheets are partially ejected through said open inner ends the exposed end margins of the sheets substantially meet at said common center and hence may be grasped together in connection with conjoint withdrawal of the sheets from the bins, means for partially ejecting the sheets from the stacks, and a unitary back stop means extending transversely of all of the bins, and means supporting said stop means in various positions of adjustment with respect to the inner ends of the bins whereby the working depths of i oi the bins may be equally varied in order to 1 -.pt the bins to accommodate stacks of sheets that vary in length.

in a collator, means for supporting a plurality of stacks of sheets in fiatwise radiating position diverging downwardly from a common cellter, mechanism for feeding the sheets from the stacks so that the outer edges meet at the'cornmon center to permit manual withdrawal, said mechanism comprising parallel rods extending adjacent the stacks, feeding fingers extending from each of the rods to engage the outermost sheet of its stack, a common operating lever, radiating slots at the ends of the supporting means through which the parallel rods extend, a segment bar connected for movement by the operating lever and movable lengthwise of the radiating slots, links loosely connecting the feeding segment to each of the rods for moving the rods lengthwise of the slots as the lever is moved.

3. In a collator, means forming a plurality of adjacent bins radiating from a common center and diverging downwardly for holding stacks of paper sheets in fiatwise radiating relation, means within the bins for feeding the sheets so that their outer edges meet at the common center to permit manual withdrawal, the ends of the bins having fingers attached to each rod for engaging the uppermost sheet in the corresponding bin, and means for simultaneously operating the rods comprising a segment bar movable lengthwise over the slots at the outer ends of the :bins, connecting links each loosely connected at one end to the bar and at the other end to one of the rods to permit free lateral movement of the rod with respect to the bar, and resilient means attached to the rods for holding the fingers against the sheets and drawing the rods to the ends of the slots opposite their feeding movement by the segment bar.

4. In a collator, a plurality of bins for supporting a plurality of stacks of sheets in flatly radiating relation diverging downwardly from a common center, said bins having corresponding radiating slots in the ends, paper feeding means comprising rods extending through each of the bins and through the end slots and feeding fingers in each of the bins on the rods for moving the outer corresponding edges of the sheets to meet at the common center of the bins to permit manual withdrawal, a curved segment bar slldably movable at the ends of the bins, for operating all of the rods, link means forming a laterally movable loose connection between the segment bar and the ends of the rods, spring means connected to the rods for holding the fingers in engagement with the uppermost sheet in each stack, an operating lever having a slot in the end, and a link connected to the segment bar and slidable in said slot for operating the bar in reverse directions.

5. In a collator, adjacent segmental bins for supporting a plurality of stacks of sheets in flatly radiating position diverging downwardly from a common center, said bins having corresponding radiating slots at the ends, means for feeding the outer edges of all of the sheets together from the bins to meet at their common center to permit 'manuai withdrawal, said means comprising feeding rods extending through the bins and through the slots in the endsthereof, a holder mounted upon each rod having fingers extending therefrom to engage the outermost sheet in each stack, resilient means between the holder and the rod for maintaining the fingers in engagement with the sheets, a common operating bar and links for loosely connecting it with each of the said rods, link and lever connections for moving the bar in opposite directions, and springs connected to the ends of the rods tending to draw the rods, the common operating bar and said operating means in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding -movement, v 6. In a collator, means forming a plurality of adjacent radiating bins for supporting a plurality of separate stacks of sheets in flatly radiating position, said bins including a plurality of radiating partitions, sheet engaging means for each stack and a common operating bar for all of the sheet engaging means for simultaneously feeding the sheets of each set toward their common center where the outer edges of the sheets will be in register for removing them together, the partitions having corresponding perforations adjacent their inner ends, and a back stop strip insertable transversely through thecorre-sponding perforations of the partitions forming a variable bottom for adjusting the depth of the bins to accommodate sheets of different lengths therein.

7. In a collating machine, partitions forming 7 a plurality of radiating bins for supporting individual stacks of paper sheets in flatwise radial arrangement with respect to each other, sheet engaging means for feeding the top sheet of each stack simultaneously with the outer edges together at their common center, a common operating bar movable in a single path having loose connections between the bar and each of said feeding means for accommodating the radial movement of the feeding means to the single movement of the bar, means for relieving the sheet engaging means from its contact with each stack to permit a backward settling movement of the sheets in the separate stacks, a common depth adjusting means for all 01' the bins comprising corresponding openings in the partitions, and a common curved back stop insertabie transversely through the openings in all of the partitions for limiting the backward settling movement of the sheets in the separate stacks.

8. In a collating machine, an arcuate series of wedge-shape bins having common radial partitions between them adapted to hold stacks of sheets therein, the small ends of the bins being open and omitted adjacent their common center to provide an unobstructed sheet feeding space, common means for successively feeding sheets simultaneously from each of the stacks through the small ends of the bins to said common center where the outer edge of the sheets are together so that each set of sheets may be grasped together without obstruction and removed by the operator of the coilator, means for releasing the sheet feeding means from engagement with the sheets at the inner ends of movement thereof conjointly ejecting the topmost sheet from each stack through said upper ends of the bins, and a unitary back stop means extending transversely oi all oi the bins and means supporting said stop means in various positions of adjustment with respect to the upper ends of the bins whereby the working depths oi the bins may be varied in order to adapt the bins to accommodate stacks of sheets that vary in length.

JOSEPH M. DRULINER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 1,167,214 Petersen Jan. 4, 1916 1,241,697 Ananson Oct. 21, 1917 1,443,698 Avery Jan. 30, 1923 1,607,995 Marcuson Nov. 23, 1926 2,222,271 Warner Nov. 19, 1940 2,288,149 Williams June 30, 1942 

